Effect of Combined Balance Exercises and Kinesio Taping on Balance, Postural Stability, and Severity of Ankle Instability in Female Athletes with Functional Ankle Instability.

Sara Mahmoudzadeh Khalili,Hadi Nobari,Rafael Oliveira,Amir Barati

doi:10.3390/life12020178

Abstract

Ankle sprain is a common musculoskeletal injury, and recurrent ankle sprains often lead to ankle instability. This study aimed to examine whether a 6-week balance training on a wobble board (WB) combined with kinesio taping (KT) is effective in improving balance, postural stability, and ankle stability among female athletes with functional ankle instability (FAI). Twenty-four female athletes with FAI were randomly assigned to study (SG) or control groups (CG). SG attended a 6-week training protocol of combined balance training on the wobble board with KT applied to ankles during exercise. CG only went through a 6-week balance training procedure that was the same as the SG. Before and after the training program, balance and postural stability and the severity of ankle instability were assessed by single-leg Biodex Balance system and Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool (CAIT), respectively. The analysis revealed that the scores of balance and postural stability decreased after the 6-week training for CG (p = 0.002) and SG (p = 0.001), which indicates an improvement for these variables, and the score of CAIT increased, which means the severity of instability reduced (p = 0.001 for both groups). Significant between-group differences were found for balance and postural stability (t = 2.79, p = 0.011, g = −1.99) and the severity of instability (t = 2.082, p = 0.049, g = 1.36), favoring SG compared with CG. This study showed that the addition of KT to balance training is more effective than balance training alone in improving balance, postural stability, and severity of ankle instability in female athletes with FAI. Our findings could provide a preliminary reference for designing combined balance and KT programs for delivering health benefits to females with FAI.

Highlights

Data are presented in mean ± standard deviation: SG, study group; control groups (CG), control group; BMI, body mass index
Data are presented in mean ± standard deviation: BTG, balance training group; BT+KTG, balance training + kinesio taping group; L, large; M, moderate; Hedge’s g, Hedge’s g effect size magnitude with 95% confidence interval; a demonstrated significant results compared with the pre-test, at a significance level of ≤0.05; b demonstrated significant difference between groups before or after intervention at a significance level of ≤ 0.05
The main objective of this study was to investigate whether 6 weeks of balance exercises plus KT had any effect on balance, postural stability, and severity of ankle instability in female athletes with functional ankle instability (FAI)

Summary

Introduction

Ankle injuries are common among athletes [1]. Ankle sprain is the most common musculoskeletal injury [2] and accounts for approximately 20% of sports injuries [3], with severe physical and economic consequences [4]. Of patients report functional ankle instability (FAI) [5], a type of chronic ankle instability characterized by a tendency of the joint to sprain laterally and a feeling of “giving way” [6]. Female athletes have been shown to be more prone to ankle sprains than their male counterparts [7]. In FAI, the anatomical structure of the joint does not change but results in proprioception and functional changes in the sensorimotor system of the ankle. Individuals with FAI are more prone to injury due to impaired postural control, balance, and proprioception [10,11]

Objectives

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion